After serving his home congregation for over thirty years, Michael J. "Mike" Clemens resigned as an elder and spent the next twenty years on an ill-defined sabbatical, trying to refocus his spiritual life. This book synthesizes lessons learned from several sources, including 1) academic life where he earned a BA in Economics from Oregon State and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Alaska, Juneau, 2) three years as a Coast Guard Officer, 3) three decades of administrative work with the State of Alaska, and 4) extensive reading about issues related to contemporary Christianity. Married for 55 years, he and his wife have three children, nine grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Mike grew up in Portland, Oregon, but has lived in Juneau, Alaska, since being stationed there after graduation from Officer Candidate School in early 1970. Converted from unbelief a few months later, he served the Juneau Church of Christ faithfully in various capacities including the local eldership from October, 1999 until February, 2002 when he resigned. In early 2024, he began reconnecting with that same congregation.